


Save Me, I'm Sick

by yuki_onna_sicarius



Series: Reks and Rasler drabbles [5]
Category: Final Fantasy XII
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-18 07:40:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11286720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuki_onna_sicarius/pseuds/yuki_onna_sicarius
Summary: When Rasler gets sick, Reks takes care of him





	1. Rasler

The night was rough for Rasler and Reks. Between Rasler's wheezing and Reks' insistence on making him drink strange herbal teas, the two didn't get much sleep. Rasler had a fever and was drenched with sweat.

Reks couldn't sleep even if he wanted to, and truth be told, he really wanted to.

Alas, Rasler's coughing only got worse as the night went on, so loud that no matter where Reks went, it kept him awake. So he found himself mixing tea and making cockatrice stew at two in the morning.

_Rasler had better not complain about me not doing anything for him ever_ Reks swore in his mind. He rubbed his face and yawned as he cooked.

Rasler, miserable Rasler, tried to go back to sleep in his room, to no avail. Whatever he had was kicking his ass. Truth be told, all he wanted was to cling to Reks while the younger man sang to him, running his fingers through Rasler's hair. It wouldn't have done much for his illness, not like he was sure the soup would, but it would make him feel better.

With soup in hand, Reks returned to the bedroom. He was obviously tired, his eyes barely open and he couldn't stop yawning. Rasler felt bad and tried to hold back another cough, but that only made it come out harder.

"You don't have to feed me," Rasler protested softly, but Reks just glared at him.

"If you can do it yourself, raise your arm," he replied. He raised a challenging eyebrow at Rasler, who took the bait and tried to raise his arm to take the spoon. Within a moment, it fell back to his side, pain running up the length of it.

"What is it?" Rasler rasped.

"We call it the Lowtown Bug," Reks replied. "No one really knows what it is. It causes coughing and muscle pain, but it's usually gone within a day or two. The kids get it a lot. You just need to drink lots of water and soup, plus the teas help with the side effects of the bug."

Rasler opened his mouth when Reks held out the spoon for him. It was strange, being fed like a child, but Rasler couldn't protest. He knew how Reks could get when he did too often. Besides, he couldn't feed himself.

It took much longer than expected to finish half the bowl of soup, which was all Rasler could stomach. Reks put the bowl on the nightstand and walked to the bathroom. Rasler could hear the sink, and a moment later, Reks came back with a damp rag in his hands. He laid it on Rasler's forehead before crawling back into bed.

"You need to rest," he insisted, and Rasler quickly obliged to lie back down. Reks remained in an upright position, watching over his lover, making sure he was comfortable.

Rasler, still aching for some physical contact, laid his hand on Reks' lap. The younger man couldn't help but smile and ran his fingers through the older man's hair. Softly, he began to hum a soothing lullaby. It took some time, and several more coughing fits, but Rasler finally managed to fall asleep again. Reks, on the other hand, had to fight a little longer, trying to get comfortable in his upright sleeping position.

\---

Rasler awoke to another coughing fit. Reks' eyes flitted open, moving to look at Rasler. When he could comprehend what was going on, he stood from the bed and moved to the kitchen, leaving Rasler to wonder what he was doing.

Reks returned to the room with a bottle.

He measured out the liquid contents into a spoon and held it out to Rasler. "It'll help the cough," he explained. "You can't treat the disease, just the symptoms." Rasler nodded and took the offered medicine.

"Are you feeling any better from last night?" Reks asked.

"A little bit," Rasler replied. "I'm not in as much pain as I was then."

"Good," Reks replied, sitting down next to him again. "At least that's going away. Are you hungry? There's leftover soup." Rasler nodded before another round of coughs escaped his lips, his rib cage burning with each one.

Reks didn't come back with the soup for a few minutes because he had to warm it up again. He didn't make it as hot as it was earlier that morning, more of a lukewarm than scorching hot. Rasler didn't complain; he was glad it was cooler than that morning.

"You're a god amongst men," Rasler said after he finished eating. Reks rolled his eyes, but he did smile down at Rasler.

"You're just a child," Reks replied with a chuckle, kissing the top of Rasler's head. "I've got things to do, so I'll be in the other room, if you need anything, just let me know."

Rasler nodded and leaned into the pillows, allowing himself to fall back asleep.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep when he felt the bed dip. He slowly opened his eyes to find a tired Reks climbing onto the bed before he wrapped his arms around Rasler again. In turn, Rasler turned and wrapped his arms around Reks' waist.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Just a very hysterical, arrogant petitioner," Reks replied with a sigh. "Archadians, am I right?"

Rasler chuckled softly and shook his head. "They are bad."

"They're the worst!" Reks groaned. "So fucking pompous and air headed and-"

"Reks, this person is still our client, so as much as you may hate them, you must tolerate them until the job is done."

"Then I can bitch about him?"

"Yes, then you can bitch about him freely."

Reks laughed, a single harsh laugh, and ran his fingers through Rasler's hair. "Alright, I can wait a little longer to bitch about him," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," Rasler replied. He leaned up and pressed a kiss to Reks' collarbone, leaning his head on the younger man's shoulder. For the third time that day, he fell asleep, but this time, he slept peacefully.


	2. Reks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a hunt takes Reks and Rasler to the Golmore Jungle, Reks falls ill. Now, Rasler must take care of him while he recovers

Reks was abnormally moody as the duo left the the Feywood, entering the Golmore Jungle, and paler than usual. When Rasler asked if something was wrong, Reks snapped at his partner, saying he was fine. Even after he'd thrown up twice, he insisted he was fine.

"Perhaps we should rest," Rasler suggested when Reks leaned on him for support. "I think you may have caught something."

"I'm fine," Reks insisted again, though he staggered as he pulled away. Rasler grabbed him in time to keep him from falling.

"We're stopping," Rasler finally declared. Reks, though, shook his head and weakly pointed at some Hellhounds. Rasler sighed and picked his partner up before using a Vanishga Mote on them.

"We're going to Eruyt," he decided, sneaking past the Hellhounds, who looked confused when they passed, wondering where the scent of Hume was coming from.

"Won't they shoot us?" Reks asked. "Even though we did a hunt for them."

"Fran is there," Rasler replied. "She will vouch for us."

Reks' breathing became more labored with each passing second, and Rasler feared he would pass out. Not long after, fever took over and they were forced to stop for a bit. Rasler pressed a damp cloth to Reks' forehead and forced him to drink some cold water. Reks was gasping now for air, and he was shaking badly. He groaned loudly when Rasler picked him up again to finish their trek to the village.

As they were walking, Rasler noticed Reks kept looking behind them. "What are you looking at?" he asked after the third time he noticed.

"Someone's following us," Reks replied. Rasler turned to see who the person was, but there was no one there. He raised an eyebrow and continued forward.

"No one is following us," he remarked softly. He didn't want Reks to think he was angry or impatient.

"Yes there is," Reks argued weakly. "He's-"

"Save your energy, Reks. It will do you no good to waste it here."

Reks started protesting, but found himself too weak to continue, so he fell silent. He rested his head on Rasler's shoulder and closed his eyes, allowing sleep to take him.

\---

Upon seeing the state the hunters were in, Fran rushed to their aid, telling a salve-maker to take Reks to her hut for treatment. Jote was surprisingly silent, allowing the hunters to take shelter in the village.

Reks refused to let Rasler leave him. Whenever the older hunter stood to leave, Reks grabbed onto his arm and pulled it close, his shaking hands shockingly firm for how weak he was. The salve-maker, a viera named Mjun, brought Reks a putrid smelling salve.

"It is the only medicine," she explained. She held it out to Rasler, a part of her knowing Reks would refuse it otherwise. When Reks drank it all, he curled up in a ball, asking for blankets, complaining of being cold.

"What does he have?" Rasler asked, wrapping his cloak around Reks.

"Mist poisoning," Mjun replied. "Too long you were in the Feywood, and it took his health. He will be in pain, but it will not last long. I will continue to give him this salve, but you must stay by his side. Not long will he have it, but suffer greatly he will."

Rasler didn't like the sound of that. Reks gasped out again, his breathing labored yet again.

Fran stopped in for a visit. Her normally stoic eyes were soft in understanding. Apparently, she had also had Mist poisoning once, back when she was a wood-warder in training.

"He will see things," she explained. "Things that are not there."

"He already has," Rasler replied. "He said he saw someone following us before we got here."

"He will speak of that person again," she warned. "It best to act that he speak the truth."

"Will he remember anything?"

"Not much. Keep him hydrated, it will be worse if he is not."

Rasler nodded in understanding. He would do anything to alleviate as much of Reks' pain as possible. Before she left, Fran pressed something into Rasler's hand. It was a tear-shaped stone, a pretty peridot color, that shimmered in the light.

An hour later, things got even worse. It started with Reks vomiting again several times. When there was nothing left to vomit, he began to dry-heave, which led to terrible coughs that racked his entire body. His shaking got worse, to the point that all he could do was lay down, immobile. When Rasler offered him water, he refused it. When he did drink, he vomited. He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep, all he could do was whimper in pain.

At midnight, Reks started screaming. Mjun came more often with the medicine, but forcing it down Reks' throat was becoming more and more difficult. When he started clawing at his skin, screaming that it was burning, Rasler had to hold his hands down, forcing himself to be strong as he looked down at his pained lover. Mjun covered the bleeding cuts on Reks' arms with a different salve, one she said could heal the wounds and soothe the burning sensation.

"He found us," Reks announced an hour later. He had calmed down, no longer screaming in pain, and was leaning against Rasler's chest. Rasler's eyes opened slightly, having started to doze, and grunted. "He's rude. Every time I look at him, he goes away."

"Perhaps he doesn't want you to look at him," Rasler replide half-heartidly.

"Then why is he here?"

"To make sure you are alright."

"I don't like him. He's scaring me."

"Then look at him and he will go away."

At three in the morning, Mjun brings the next round of medicine and two bowls of soup. Rasler hadn't eaten, too busy taking care of Reks, making sure the younger hunter didn't claw his skin from his body, so the food was welcomed. He ate while Mjun helped Reks drink the medicine, then he helped Reks eat some of his own soup.

The pieces of Golmore Hare were cut small, and Reks managed to keep some of it down. He didn't eat much, but Rasler was satisfied that he had something in his stomach. Reks was still shaking, and still had a slight fever, but everything else had worked its way out of his system, and Reks was able to sleep. Rasler stayed awake a few more minutes to make sure Reks was truly asleep before allowing himself to close his eyes for the night.

Once the morning sunbeams penetrated the leaves of the forest, waking everyone from their slumber, Reks was better. Not fully recovered, but enough that he could leave the jungle. Mjun prepared another batch of medicine that was for Reks to drink when they got back to Rabanastre, already forcing down a cup with breakfast. The two hunters would be taken to the edge of the Golmore by the wood-warders, though they couldn't leave the wood, to ensure their safety.

Once Reks ate his breakfast and could stand on his feet, leaning on Rasler for extra support, they made their way out of the village. The wood-warders fended off the fiends that came to strike. At the forest entrance, they waved their goodbyes and returned to Eruyt Village.

After they returned to Rabanastre, the duo quickly returned to their apartment. Reks had never been so happy to be home.


End file.
